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Enlarge ImageRequest to buy this photoCraig Ruttle | Associated PressDefensive end Jadeveon Clowney of South Carolina acknowledges the crowd after being the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft. “Hopefully, I’m going to be a Hall of Famer one day,” Clowney said.

NEW YORK — For nearly three years, Jadeveon Clowney couldn’t wait to get to the NFL, and the
league was just as eager to add the player some called the best defensive prospect in a decade.

No surprise: Clowney was the Texans’ man.

But last night’s first pick of the NFL draft didn’t come without some intrigue about how it
would turn out. There had been criticism of Clowney’s work ethic last season and questions about
whether the Texans would hold or trade the No. 1 pick.

“I just been proving a lot of people wrong throughout my life,” Clowney said. “Growing up, I
grew up hard. I always said I’m going to do something great. Hopefully, I’m going to be a Hall of
Famer one day.”

The draft’s other big name, Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, sat with a sullen look on
his face until Cleveland made its third trade of the round and grabbed the 2012 Heisman Trophy
winner at No. 22.

Manziel’s wait added plenty of intrigue nearly three hours after the Texans took their time
selecting Clowney. Rarely does a team not reveal the top overall choice until it is announced, and
there was speculation the Texans had soured on the defensive end, whose junior season at South
Carolina was accompanied by criticism he played it safe to stay healthy for the pros.

After commissioner Roger Goodell announced the pick, fans at Radio City Music Hall applauded
Clowney as he held up his index finger, his eyes moist, a relieved look on his face.

“It’s been a long time. It just kicked in at the end there, man, I’ve been drafted,” he
said.

Clowney, 21, brings size, speed and power to a lineup that has 2012 NFL defensive player of the
year J.J. Watt. Clowney’s diligence had been questioned after he slipped from 13 sacks to just
three in 2013.

He is the first defensive player taken No. 1 overall since Houston selected another end, Mario
Williams, in 2006.

As the No. 1 pick, Clowney became an instant millionaire the moment his name was called,
entitled to earn around $25 million for his first four seasons in the NFL.

It was a life-changing moment for Clowney, who was raised by a single mother who has spent the
past 20 years working in a potato chip factory just to make ends meet.

“The first thing I’m going to do is take care of my mom,” he said.

Tackle Greg Robinson, whose blocking helped Auburn make the national championship game last
season, went second to St. Louis. The Rams owned the pick as the final payment for a 2012 trade
with Washington that allowed the Redskins to draft quarterback Robert Griffin III.

Jacksonville, with the third pick, grabbed quarterback Blake Bortles of Central Florida, whose
stock shot up last season and in subsequent workouts. At 6 feet 5, 232 pounds, Bortles drew
comparisons to Ben Roethlisberger because of his combination of size and mobility.

“He’s a down-to-earth guy, a self-made guy, a blue-collar guy and he wants to be the best he can
be,” Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell said. “He just needs a little bit of time.”

Seeing a chance to grab playmaking receiver Sammy Watkins of Clemson, Buffalo swapped spots with
Cleveland, also sending a first- and fourth-round selection next year to move up from ninth to
fourth.

“Dynamic playmaker, and that’s what this game is all about,” Bills general manager Doug Whaley
said of Watkins. “He’s automatically going to make our quarterback (EJ Manuel) better.”

Texas A&M tackle Jake Matthews, a son of Hall of Fame offensive lineman Bruce Matthews, went
to Atlanta with the sixth overall pick.

Minnesota finished off the opening round by trading with Seattle to select Louisville’s Teddy
Bridgewater, the third quarterback taken.

Bridgewater originally was predicted to be a top-10 pick early in the college season, but after
a poor showing at his pro day workout, he slid down the draft board. The Vikings had a private
workout with him in Florida, and general manager Rick Spielman said he liked what he saw.

“Some of the flaws you may have seen during the original pro day, as soon as you saw him getting
coached, those flaws were getting corrected,” Spielman said.

Fourteen underclassmen were chosen, including the first four picks. The SEC led all conferences
with 11 players taken.